Occurrence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in smoke flavourings

The presence of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in four liquid smok e flavourings of different origins has been studied, in order to test wheth er a relation between their PAH content and their composition could be esta blished, and to evaluate whether the use of these flavourings could involve a risk to human health. The samples were subjected to an alkaline treatmen t, extracted with cyclohexane, cleaned up, and the PAHs determined by gas c hromatography-mass spectrometry. The results reveal a wide range of PAHs, e specially in the commercial flavourings studied, which present higher conce ntrations of both total and carcinogenic PAHs than those obtained in the la boratory. Benzo(a)pyrene has been detected in three of the samples studied, but its levels do not exceed, in any of the cases, the 10 mug/kg value fix ed by the FAO/WHO.